Students solved a real challenge — and presented it at the U.S. Chamber in D.C.
When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Emerge connected Oakland Schools Technical Campus – Southwest (OSTC-SW) in Wixom with the Oakland Schools Education Foundation, the students weren’t handed a hypothetical. They were handed a real problem the foundation genuinely needed solved.
The challenge
The Oakland Schools Education Foundation wanted to find the best way to help students — especially when it came to connecting them with businesses and careers. The question for the EPIC team: how could OSTC foster connections and build long-term relationships with businesses outside of its current network?
In partnership with Emerge, the U.S. Chamber Foundation facilitated a connection between Oakland Schools Technical Campuses and the Oakland Schools Education Foundation. Students were challenged to identify how OSTC can foster connections and build long-term relationships with businesses outside of their current network.
— U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
What the students did
The team worked it like real consultants. They interviewed members of the foundation, their teachers, and their fellow students to understand what OSTC offered and where the gaps were. From that research, they built a complete awareness campaign the foundation’s trustees could put to use to get OSTC on the radar of local businesses — anchored by a plan for OSTC campus tours that would let employers connect with students directly and see firsthand how the campus prepares them for immediate work after high school.
The result
The foundation’s trustees walked away with a campaign they could actually use — and the work didn’t stay local. The team was selected to present at the EPIC National Convening at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., in front of teams and employers from across the country.
It’s exactly what EPIC is built to do: a real challenge from a real partner, solved by students who showed what they can do — on a national stage.
Featured by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Read the full feature →
From the event
